Murray State University (MSU) is a four-year public university located in Murray, Kentucky, United States. With about 11,166 students, it has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges" as one of the top regional universities in the U.S. for 26 straight years and it has consistently been among the top-ranked public regional universities in Kentucky.[4] In addition to the main campus, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, and Henderson.

The history of Murray State University can be traced to the passage of Senate Bill 14 by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which created two normal schools to address the growing demand for professional teachers. One would be in the western part of the state, which caused many cities and towns to bid for the new normal school. Rainey T. Wells spoke on behalf of the city of Murray to convince the Normal School Commission to choose his city. On September 2, 1922, Murray was chosen as the site of the western normal school, while Morehead was chosen for the eastern normal school. On November 26, 1922, John Wesley Carr was elected the first president of the Murray State Normal School by the State Board of Education. Believing it had the authority to elect the president, the Normal School Commission picked Rainey Wells to be the first president. On May 15, 1923, The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled for the State Board of Education, and Carr would become Murray's first president.

Murray State Normal School opened on September 23, 1923. Until the first building was completed, now Wrather West Kentucky Museum, classes were held on the first floor of Murray High School. All students commuted until the first dormitory, Wells Hall, was constructed in 1925. Wilson Hall was also completed under Carr's presidency, with other structures were in progress. In 1926, Rainey T. Wells, recognized as the founder of Murray State, became its second president. Wells served from 1926 to 1932, and during this time Lovett Auditorium, Carr Health Building and Pogue library were all completed. In 1926, the Normal School was renamed Murray State Normal School and Teachers College, and the General Assembly granted it authority to confer baccalaureate degrees. In 1928, the college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1930, the name was changed to Murray State Teachers College and it was granted authority to offer liberal arts and preprofessional courses. The name was changed again in 1948 to Murray State College, and finally in 1966 the General Assembly authorized the Board of Regents to change the name to Murray State University.

The Shield is the official seal of the university. It is taken from the heraldic coat-of-arms of the family of William Murray, Earl of Mansfield and Lord Chief Justice of Great Britain in 1756. William Murray is an ancestor of the Murray family from whom the city and the university take their names. The shield is blue with a double gold border — its three stars represent hope, endeavor and achievement.

Pogue Library and the quadrangle, featuring the statue of founder Rainey T. Wells.

The oldest and most easily recognizable buildings on the Murray State campus are situated around a large, grassy, tree-lined area on the south side of campus. This part of campus, known as the Quadrangle, is bounded by 16th Street to the west, 15th Street to the east, Lovett Auditorium to the north and Wilson Hall to the south.

In the southwest corner of the Quad sits the oldest building on campus, Wrather West Kentucky Museum, which was known first as the Administration Building and then as Wrather Hall before it became a museum. Ground was broken for Wrather Hall on October 15, 1923, and it has been in use since 1924. Wrather Hall first housed administrative offices and classrooms before becoming Wrather West Kentucky Museum. The building features a large auditorium that is frequently used for lectures and meetings. Faculty Hall, Wells Hall and the Business Building line the western edge of the Quadrangle. The Lowry Center, Pogue Library and the Price Doyle Fine Arts Center line the eastern side of the Quad. The 11-story Doyle Fine Arts Center is the tallest building on campus, housing the Robert E. Johnson Theatre, Clara Eagle Art Gallery, WKMS-FM and television studios used for student work and the taping of Murray State's signature show, Roundabout U, as well as numerous classrooms, practice rooms and recital halls.

Directly south of the Quad is Sparks Hall. Sparks Hall is the main administrative building, housing the offices of student financial aid, admissions and registration, accounting and financial services, vice president for administrative services, Center for Continuing Education and Academic Outreach, human resources and university communications. The five-story, 39,000-square-foot (3,600 m2), Sparks Hall was completed in 1967 at a cost of $1,308,514.

To the south of the Quadrangle, and directly west of Sparks Hall is Oakhurst, which is the residence of the university president. Construction of the residence, originally known as Edgewood, began in 1917 and was completed in 1918. The home was built by Dr. and Mrs. Rainey T. Wells. The Board of Regents purchased the home from Rainey T. Wells in June 1936. It was remodeled that year and renamed Oakhurst in preparation for James H. Richmond's occupation of the house.[5]

The central portion of the Murray State campus lines 15th Street between Chestnut Street and Olive Boulevard. This portion of 15th Street was originally open to automobile traffic, but has since been closed and converted into a pedestrian thoroughfare. Along the west side of the 15th Street pedestrian pathway is the Martha Layne Collins Center for Industry and Technology, Blackburn Science Building and Oakley Applied Science Building. To the east of the pedestrian pathway lies the Curris Center, Carr Health Building and Cutchin Fieldhouse, Waterfield Library, Ordway Hall, Woods Hall and Mason Hall.

The most historic building in the central portion of campus is Ordway Hall. The contract for construction of Ordway Hall was approved in April 1930, and construction was completed in 1931. Originally built as a men's dormitory, the 38,600-square-foot building was constructed at a cost of $106,765. In the past, Ordway Hall housed unique event space and several offices, including the Career Services and Student Affairs offices. Because of costly renovation needs, including upgrades to meet current fire protection and ADA requirements, Ordway Hall was razed in 2013. In recognition of the building's historical value to the campus, the front facade was retained as a monument to its significance to campus.[6][7]

Alexander Hall, named for former Murray State president Kern Alexander

An aggressive building campaign on campus has resulted in a westward expansion of the main academic campus of Murray State. The expansion began with a massive renovation and expansion of what is now known as Alexander Hall on the west side of 16th Street near Calloway Avenue. The project was the first to unveil a new architectural style that would become consistent through all renovation and new construction projects on campus. Alexander Hall houses classrooms and offices for the college of education. Construction continued with the new state-of-the-art science complex for biology and chemistry that is located just to the southwest of Alexander Hall. The massive new science complex was constructed in phases, with the biology building opening in 2004, and the rest of the complex and centerpiece clock tower reaching final completion in March 2008. The new clock tower was dedicated in 2007 as the Jesse L. Jones Family Clock Tower.

The majority of the university's sports and recreation facilities are located on the northern-most edge of the campus, along the KY-121 Bypass. The most prominent structure in the sports complex is Roy Stewart Stadium. The stadium, which is home field to the Murray State Racers football program, was completed in 1973 and named for former Murray State football coach Roy Stewart. It seats 16,800. The outdated AstroTurf surface was replaced with FieldTurf in 2007. Located on the second floor of the seven-story press box and seating structure is the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range, which is the home of the three-time NCAA champion rifle squad. The 8,602-seat CFSB Center was completed in 1998 to replace the aging Racer Arena that had been outgrown by the men's and women's basketball teams. Racer Arena remains in use by the women's volleyball team.

On April 16, 2005, the new Susan E. Bauernfeind Student Recreation and Wellness Center was dedicated. The new 73,000-square-foot (6,800 m2) student recreation center includes a swimming pool, two racquetball courts, a walking/jogging track, an aerobic studio, basketball courts, and free weights and cardio workout machines. The center is located just north of the residential colleges, near Roy Stewart Stadium.

Currently, a building campaign has begun to replace many of the older residence halls. A replacement building for Clark College was completed and ready for residents at the beginning of the 2007 fall semester. This made Clark Hall the newest building, and the first residence hall specifically designed around the residential college concept and model. A new four story, 270-bed, 79,900 square foot Richmond Hall was opened for James H. Richmond Residential College in fall 2009.[8] It has a similar concept and design as Clark College. In fall 2009, the old Clark Hall building was torn down. Following the completion of the spring 2011 semester, the university began renovation to Elizabeth Hall, which houses the Elizabeth Residential College. The $7.2 million renovation project closed the building for the entire 2011-12 academic year as the highrise was upgraded to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The renovation also included new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems with the goal of achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver status.[9] The renovated Elizabeth Hall reopened on August 18, 2012.[10] Hester Hall is the next highrise residence hall scheduled for renovation; however, the timeline for that project has not been announced.[11]

In August 2009, Murray State unveiled a new logo and tagline. The new logo featured an updated version of the Murray State shield and the "Your World to Explore" tagline. The university describes the meaning of the "Your World to Explore" tagline with the following statement: "Murray State invites students to discover a remarkable range of opportunities for learning and growth that begin on campus and extend around the globe, encouraging them to think broadly and boldly about their destinations in life."

2012 saw the introduction of a new tagline, "Take Your Place in the Murray State Tradition," to overlap and enhance "Your World to Explore." "Your World to Explore" has been gradually phased out with the exception of the international program, which continues to use it. The phrase "Take Your Place" is used in conjunction with programs, activities and organizations such as "Take Your Place in Mathematics."

The traditional shield and university seal remain in use for ceremonial use, formal events, and documents of institutional and legal importance, such as diplomas, certificates, transcripts, formal event programs, flags, banners, etc.[12][13][14]

The statement "We Are Racers" was officially adopted February 2011 to complement the new branding strategy. "We Are Racers" is prominently used in Murray State athletic programs and facilities.[15][16]

Murray State University offers 11 associate, 64 bachelor, and 42 master and specialist programs, which are administered through four academic colleges, two schools, 30 departments, and one joint program shared by the college of business and the college of science, engineering and technology. The college of business is the largest at Murray State, enrolling 23 percent of the undergraduate students.

Murray State has been institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and School, Commission on Colleges, continuously since 1928. Murray is one of only eight schools in the state of Kentucky to achieve AACSB accreditation of business programs;[17] however the school is not AACSB-accredited in accounting programs.[18] Several other programs have achieved specialized accreditation - primarily programs in teaching, fine arts and nursing. As a former normal school and teachers college, Murray State is best known for its NCATE-accredited education programs, but the university has also gained national recognition for its fine arts programs. The department of music has been a member of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1936.[19]

For 26 straight years Murray State University has been recognized by "U.S.News & World Report's Best Colleges" as one of the top regional universities in the United States. The most recent rankings (released in September 2016) listed Murray State at twelfth place among the public regional universities in the South and 35th overall among all regional universities in the South. Murray State has consistently been one of the top-ranked public regional universities in Kentucky in the Regional Universities-South category, which contains both private and public schools. Murray State has also been ranked by Forbes among America's Top Colleges since 2008.[20][21]

Murray State University has over 1,000 international students from 66 countries around the world. The international students are very active on campus. They lead several international student groups, including the International Student Organization, the Korean Student Association and the Indian Student Association. They also plan events throughout the year to teach others about the foods, politics, religions and cultures around the world.[26]

Murray State University provides an English as a Second Language (ESL) program that allows international students who are not fluent in English to come to Kentucky, USA to study. This program provides English speaking, listening, reading and writing instruction while teaching students about American culture. The ESL program also offers conversation partner practice, where international students are paired with students from the United States to practice speaking English. The conversation partner program promotes intercultural understanding and awareness between the American and International students, and it leads many students to study abroad.[27]

The international population on-campus allows Murray State students to develop relationships with people from around the world. This provides Murray State students with global networking opportunities and it adds another dimension to the education at Murray State University: students learn about the world from their peers, and every major continent is represented on-campus.

The Murray State model does not include some components of the classical residential college model, such as dining halls and libraries at each college. In the Murray State model students do share central dining areas and recreation areas. However, as the older structures are being phased out, the university is taking steps with the new residential colleges to address many of those needs.

Although the physical structures of all of Murray State's residential colleges do not completely match those of institutions such as Oxford or Yale, the basic residential college concept was successfully implemented. All faculty, staff and students, even those who live off-campus, are assigned to one of the eight residential colleges. Once assigned to a residential college, a person remains a member of that college throughout their time at the university, developing friendships, traditions and lasting bonds that are meant to endure years after leaving Murray State. One of the goals in establishing the program was to improve student life and retention and graduation rates, and measurable progress has been made in that endeavor.

The eight colleges of Murray State

Clark College, named for Lee Clark, who assisted Rainey T. Wells in founding the university. Clark later served as the superintendent of grounds and buildings. The current Clark College opened in August 2007 as the first new residence hall built on campus since 1970. It is also the first residence hall at Murray to be specifically designed to support the residential college concept.

Elizabeth College, named for Elizabeth Harkless Woods, wife of fourth Murray State President Ralph H. Woods.

Hart College, named for George Hart, a Board of Regents member and former mayor of Murray.

Hester College, named for Cleo Gillis Hester, who served Murray State University from 1927–60, as registrar.

Regents College, named in honor of the outstanding citizens who have served on Murray State University's Board of Regents. Regents Hall was completed in 1970.

Richmond College, named for the third president of the university, James H. Richmond.

Springer-Franklin College, named for O.B. Springer, member of the Board of Regents from 1950–58 and 1960–70, and Hollis C. Franklin, who served on the board from 1947-56.

The Student Government Association, commonly known as SGA, is the officially organized body governing all students and student organizations at Murray State University. The purposes of the Student Government Association are to promote the welfare, growth and development of student life in an environment of academic excellence, to represent the students in all phases of administrative effort and to provide a means of promoting cooperative efforts for the general welfare of the university community. SGA is made up four branches: Senate, Campus Activities Board, Judicial Board and the Residential College Association. The Senate is the main branch of SGA, and it is the governing body with the power to pass resolutions, bills, rules and regulations necessary for the general welfare of the university, and to implement and maintain any programs consistent with SGA purposes. The president of SGA holds the student seat on the Board of Regents. The President of the Student Government Association is Clinton F. Combs, he has served for 2 terms beginning in 2015.

Murray State is home to twenty-six chapters of both social and professional Greek organizations. The oldest professional fraternity and sorority on campus are Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota (both relating to music) and the oldest social fraternity and sorority are Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Sigma Sigma. As of the spring 2016 semester, 1,438 students were officially reported to be involved with Greek life, representing 19 percent of the undergraduate student population.[30] This number would be even higher, but the Office of Greek Life does not track participation in several Greek organizations that have a professional emphasis.[31]

Among inactive chapters, Delta Sigma Phi, Sigma Nu, and Sigma Tau Gamma have approached the Office of Greek Life & Student Leadership Programs about restarting their chapters through expansion efforts; however, such an expansion has not yet taken place. A student-led effort to restart Tau Kappa Epsilon without national-level support resulted in a colony forming in 2006; however, the effort never generated the required membership and the colony was closed in 2012 without re-chartering. In March 2013, Murray State announced that Kappa Delta was selected to restart its chapter through an expansion effort that would begin in fall 2013. Kappa Delta's chapter was officially reinstalled on October 27, 2013.[32][33]Delta Zeta was also approved to begin an expansion to Murray State in fall 2016, and Phi Mu was approved to expand to the campus between fall 2018 and fall 2020.

The Greek Community also featured a local sorority from 1988 to 1994. Theta Chi Delta sorority was a member of MSU's Panhellenic Council and participated in most campus events. In 1994 the sorority became a colony of Phi Sigma Sigma[34] but the colonization was unsuccessful and the organization folded in 1995.

The Alma Mater of Murray State University is sung to the tune of Annie Lisle and has two verses. A.B. Austin, onetime Dean of Men, wrote the words in 1935. The Alma Mater is traditionally sung at student orientation, convocation and commencement ceremonies, athletic events and other special events on campus.

All-Campus Sing is an annual event, first held in 1958, that takes place each April in which residential colleges, fraternities, sororities and other student organizations compete in choreographed song and dance competition. The event is hosted by the Iota Beta chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota (original organizer of the event), with financial assistance from the MSU Alumni Association and the office of student affairs. It is held on the steps of historic Lovett Auditorium.[35][36]

Campus Lights is the longest running student produced and performed musical in the South. The show was started in 1938 by the Gamma Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha as a fundraiser to pay the chapter's chartering fees. Campus Lights is now produced by a joint effort of the Gamma Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha and the Iota Beta chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. All proceeds from the show are given to the department of music in order to fund scholarships.[37][38]

In 1976, the tradition of having a thoroughbred run around the track after every MSU football touchdown began. The name of that first racehorse was Violet Cactus. After the death of Violet Cactus in 1984, the horse Nancy Duster took over the job for one year. Violet Cactus is buried at Roy Stewart Stadium near the area where Racer One begins its run around the football field after a Racer touchdown. She is the only mascot to be interred inside the walls of the stadium. In 1985, the first Racer One began circling the football field after touchdowns. Several horses have filled the role of Racer One since 1985.[36]

Located in front of Pogue Library on the Quad is a tree with many pairs of shoes nailed to the trunk. The tradition is that if a couple gets married after meeting at Murray State, they return to the Quad and each one nails a shoe to the "Shoe Tree." Many of the shoes include names and dates written on them. If the couple has a baby, the baby's shoes are then sometimes also nailed to the tree. The shoe tree tradition originated in the 1960s.[39] It should be noted that this tree (due to a high zinc content from the nails) is a common target of lightning and has caught fire in the past. The original shoe tree is gone as a result of fire; however, the tradition continues through the second shoe tree.[40]

Tent City

An annual tradition since 1989, Tent City is an event that takes place before every homecoming football game. At Tent City, more than 50 tents are set up on the track at Roy Stewart Stadium, representing different groups of the college such as; fraternities, sororities, student organizations, and residential colleges. An average of 100 organizations participate each year.[41] Students use this event as a chance to talk to and meet with alumni to help raise money for their activities throughout the school year. Tent City is also a great source of entertainment for students, alumnae, and locals alike.[42]

Murray State's men's and women's athletic teams are known as the Racers, with the exception of the baseball team which is known as the Thoroughbreds. All of MSU's athletic teams compete in the Ohio Valley Conference, whose conference roster includes 10 other regional public universities plus the private Belmont University in Nashville.

Murray State is particularly renowned for its men's basketball program, which has made 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2012. In 2010 as a 13-seed, Murray State won their second ever NCAA tournament game on a buzzer beater against 4th-seeded Vanderbilt. Former Alabama head basketball coach Mark Gottfried coached the Racers to three Ohio Valley Conference Championships, all three years he coached there, the only OVC coach to accomplish such a mark.[43] The Racer men's basketball team was also led to the 2012 OVC championship by Coach Steve Prohm. The basketball program has been recognized as one of the top 30 basketball programs in modern history by ESPN.[44]

Murray State also is home to one of the nation's top rifle programs. The Racers claimed national championships in 1978 (NRA), 1985 (NCAA) and 1987 (NCAA) and have produced six individual NCAA national champions, including two-time national titlist and 1984 Summer Olympics gold medalist Pat Spurgin.

The Murray State News is the student newspaper of Murray State University. The newspaper has been the recipient of several ACP Pacemaker awards, the highest award given to collegiate newspapers. The recent awards were earned in 2004,[46] 1999,[47] and 1998.[48] Most recently the newspaper won third place best in show for four-year weekly broadcast at the National College Media Convention in New Orleans in October 2013. The newspaper gained notoriety between 1998 and 2001 through the work of Darin Shock. Shock earned the honor of top college cartoonist in the nation from the College Media Advisers in 2000. He had earned second place honors during the previous year.[49]http://www.thenews.org

The university's national literary magazine, New Madrid,[51] with editor Ann Neelon, features work from a range of nationally-recognized authors, and has received acclaim from sources as diverse as La Bloga, a leading Hispanic journal, and New Pages, a leading national review of literary magazines.

WKMS-FM (91.3 FM), is a non-commercial, educational National Public Radio-affiliated station licensed and operated by Murray State University. WKMS features a variety of NPR programming and local music shows ranging from classical music, bluegrass, alternative rock, jazz, electronica and world music.

Jackie Hays (BS '81), Reporter for WPSD-TV Paducah, KY; reporter and anchor for WHAS-TV in Louisville, KY; anchor for KYW-TV in Philadelphia, PA; and anchor for WAVE-TV in Louisville, KY. Member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.